How much do I need for that many people?
Recipe scaling fails on the things nobody measures: rice, pasta, potatoes and meat per head.
Almost exactly a dry pasta per person
100 g is more than 3 of the 8 references on this page.
Reference figures are measurements and are rounded; the unit conversion behind them is exact.
| Reference | Size | Yours ÷ theirs | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| salad leaves per person | 30 g | 3.33× | |
| dry rice per person | 75 g | 1.33× | |
| cheese for a cheeseboard | 80 g | 1.25× | |
| dry pasta per person | 100 g | 1× | |
| vegetables per person | 120 g | 0.833× | |
| fish per person | 150 g | 0.667× | |
| meat per person | 175 g | 0.571× | |
| potatoes per person | 200 g | 0.5× |
Worth knowing
- Rice roughly triples in weight when cooked, so 75 g dry becomes about 225 g on the plate.
- Dry pasta at 100 g per person is the Italian standard for a main course and about 75 g for a starter.
Frequently asked
How much rice per person?
75 g dry for a side, 100 g for a main. In volume that is about 90 ml, or a level espresso cup and a half.
Do all parts of a recipe scale linearly?
No. Seasoning, liquid and cooking time do not. Doubling a stew needs less than double the liquid and more than double the cooking time.